Afterwards
by Phea
Summary: For over fifty years Ichigo Kurosaki had been a Deputy Shinigami. Now, he is ready to take his place as a Shinigami. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

[All rights belong to their perspective owners, this is my own work, etc.]

_Author's note-_ _I discovered Tite Kubo's BLEACH anime earlier this fall and have been enjoying it immensely. After watching all the available episodes (many many hours well spent) I began to toy with the idea of writing a fan-fic based on Ichigo's life after the events of the manga (and yes, I know its an ongoing series)- specifically after he dies since it makes more sense to me to have him continue as a Deputy Shinigami in life and only after living out his human life span becoming a full fledged shinigami. With all the trouble, challenges and adventure that involves. _

_Fair warning- I do not speak Japanese but have and will continue to use Japanese honorifics/ phrases where I can since I prefer them to the actual English translation. Any mistakes in usage or spelling are unintentional.  
_

_Hope you enjoy it and thank you for at least giving it a try! Reviews are always welcome- flames especially since it's now heading into winter where I am and my toes are cold. _

Chapter 1

Spring had always been his favorite season and this year was no different. Nature had more than lived up to its promise and Karakura Town was exploding with color as new growth and cherry blossoms pushed back the dark colors of winter. Smiles and laughter were everywhere as everyone took advantage of the gorgeous weather and the age old excuse of _hanami_ to party.

_Hanami _picnics had been one of the few traditions his father had kept during his childhood after his mother's death and one that his sisters had insisted on continuing as adults. So, without fail, every year they had gathered beneath the pink snow topped trees in Sakura Park with their friends. Over the years, as the children had come along, their small group had grown into a virtual army. Still, it had been a merry army that day with laughter and shrieks of delight as friends and cousins arrived and were greeted as if they were long lost relatives returning home.

_Yes,_ he sighed in contentment as hours later he watched the sun painted the treetops a deeper rose and the _yozakura_ lanterns started to wink into existence. _It was good to see everyone again._ If anyone had looked up just then, they would have seen a man, elderly but still proudly erect watching the day fade into twilight. For those more philosophical, they'd probably see it as a metaphor of a man staring into his twilight years and take a minute to consider their own mortality, he thought whimsically with a slight smile. _And they'd be wrong, I'm just watching the sunset. Nothing deep about me really. _

He'd never been one for contemplating his place in the universe- he just was. Once, fate had given him a chance to be more than just a punk teen who saw ghosts and he'd grabbed at it with both hands. There'd been no fuzziness about it- his choices had been to fight, or fail and watch everyone he loved be destroyed. That decision had led to more than a few risky fights over the years, but not one he'd ever regretted despite the unique position that decision had forced him into. Human, but not. _Shinigami_, but not. Not quite. _Not yet, anyway. _

A sharp pain lashed across his chest, triggering a coughing fit that had him clutching the balcony railing as his body shook. After what seemed like ages, the pain in his chest eased and he was able to draw in a deep breath. _It's getting worse. Won't be long now, _he thought with a sigh.

A bout of flu nearly two years before had turned into a nasty case of pneumonia, severely weakening his lungs. They had never quite healed, leaving a persistent cough as its legacy. Although the cough had been getting progressively stronger since the New Year, it hadn't started _hurting _until recently. In an effort to avoid worrying anyone he'd been suppressing the fits when around others, but that was now beyond his abilities. He'd never had the same control over his _reiatsu _in human form as he did in his _shinigami _form and it was too exhausting to try any longer. Which was fine, it wasn't like he'd never been in pain before- even if it had been years since he'd been in _this _bad shape.

His duties as a _Deputy Shinigami_ had been nothing more strenuous than "Hollow Duty" for years- allowing the _Shinigami_ who would've been assigned to this area the freedom to be assigned to other threats; and it'd given him the chance to have a normal life. In theory anyway. It hadn't quite worked out that way, but he wasn't complaining. He'd had a good life. If a little pain at the end of it was the price he paid for the life he had chosen than it was one he would pay a thousand times over.

_ Which is why I haven't let on to Orihime or Shara that I'm dying. They wouldn't understand and I don't want to hurt them. Or, no- Orihime __**would **__understand, but I'd hurt her by refusing and I don't want that. Shara just wouldn't understand. _

Karin's daughter, Shara, had taken over her grandfather's medical clinic years before. She was as forthright and stubborn as her mother, but unlike her mother (or uncle), she couldn't see souls or sense _reiatsu__. _For her, the stories of _shinigami _and Soul Society had been bedtimes stories, not reality. Over the years, she'd managed to avoid discovering otherwise and remained stubbornly practical.

He snorted in amusement, inadvertently triggering another fit that all but drove him to his knees. Wracking coughs shaking his entire torso, he managed to collapse into a nearby chair to let the fit run its course; until finally, it eased enough for him to begin breathing again. _Yup, dying. _His thought sounded almost morbidly cheerful even to himself, which led to another choked laugh and more coughing.

Over the years he'd developed a "feel" or sense of those who were dying. From comments Kisuke had made over the years, most _shinigami_ developed such a "death sense." _Including my own, apparently. _Shaking his head again at the morbid thought, Ichigo forced himself to relax. Breathing in the rapidly cooling evening air, he looked up and smiled as the stars started to wink and shine in the darkening sky. _There's still time to watch the stars come out. _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Moonlight was shining brightly through a large window that had been left open for the night breeze currently stirring the drapes as sandal clad feet silently walked across the polished wood grain floor. A dark clad figure, the owner of the sandals, glided to the edge of a large platform bed across from the window.

"_Oh, Ichigo," _the figure sighed looking down at the man lying prone on the bed. The vital young man she remembered had changed, grown into a man, and now lay dying in front of her. Knowing that humans were born, aged and died was one thing, but seeing it happen to _him _was entirely different.

It had been more than fifty years since they're last meeting, but she hadn't forgotten him. Oh, days and weeks would go by without his gentle smile or cocky insouciance crossing her mind, but then something would invariably remind her of him. Occasionally, she would wonder about him and what paths he'd chosen to take in his life, but always, she remembered him as he had been the last time they had met.

Tall, handsome, determined, ready to challenge the gods themselves if need be to protect those he cared for. The idea that he'd grow old had never really taken root. Someone as powerful as he was simply _wouldn't_ grow old in the Soul Society- not like this. With all his power, it'd been so easy to forget that he was still only human.

_There's still so much I don't understand about this human world or life. _She reflected sadly, reaching out to touch his face, now drawn with pain and age. He was still alive, she could hear his lungs still struggling to draw breath. _His chain of fate is disintegrating quickly. It won't be long now. _He was more unconscious than asleep, she judged. It was possible he had retreated into his inner world to escape the pain, but it was possible that he might return to consciousness again briefly if he sensed her _rieatsu._

Kisuke-_san_ had mentioned something about his _rieatsu, _but she had been in too much of a hurry to pay proper attention to the shopkeeper. Whether he regained consciousness once more before dying or not, she would be there. Ichigo would not cross over alone.

****

"Are you ready, Ichigo?" The familiar query brought a small smile to Ichigo's face as he faced the part of his soul that had been both mentor and companion for so long. Zangetsu stood before him, waiting. "_Hai," _Ichigo nodded, "I'm ready"

"Good." Zangetsu looked up at the clear cerulean sky that stretched into infinity. "Already your chain of fate is weakening. It won't be long now."

**"About time,"** a cold voice said from behind him. "**It's been so **_**boring**_**. I haven't had any fun since you decided to grow up." ** As always, his inner hollow appeared as a reversed mirror image of himself. Brown eyes met insanely glowing black. The hollow would seek to gain control as soon as his chain of fate was completely broken, he knew. It had been testing him for days now, taunting him as his body weakened further.

"You won't succeed." He informed his insane twin evenly, Zangetsu watching the confrontation with interest. "I won't let you."

**"You won't be able to stop me."** He laughed, a sound that had once threatened Ichigo's sanity. **"You've grown soft in the past fifty years, **_**Ichigo. **_**The moment your chain is severed, you're **_**mine."**_

Stung, Ichigo opened his mouth to reply only to be interrupted by his _zanpakutō_ who was now studying the sky, head cocked as if listening to something. "You have a visitor."

****

Ichigo came back to himself with a start. There was always a split second of disorientation when returning from to the conscious world one and this time was no different. Eyes closed, he concentrated on the surrounding _rieatsu. The Old Man would've warned me if it was a Hollow attack, and I might be dying, but that won't stop a Hollow from trying to- _Ichigo's eyes snapped open in sudden recognition. Seeing the movement, his visitor raised a hand to brush back a strand of hair and Ichigo found himself looking into eyes that for over half a century had lived only in his memories.

"It's been a long time, Ichigo." Her cultured voice was husky, her eyes meeting his as a thousand words silently passed between the pair. "Rukia-" His barely audible voice a sharp contrast to hers. "How-"

"Shhh-" A gentle finger on his lips halted his question. "Kisuke-_san _sent word that you were dying. As you know, experienced _shinigami _canoften sense approaching death. When Yoruichi-_sama _brought word, I came immediately."

"Does any-"

"Anyone else know? Of course. Captain Ukitake and Kyōraku-_san _were with me when Yoruichi-_sama _arrived. They kindly allowed me to come to the living world."

"Good." He sighed, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. Talking was hard all of a sudden. "Missed you."

"Oh, Ichigo." Rukia sighed as well, stroking his forehead gently as her brow furrowed in confusion. Ichigo was awake and conscious, but his _rieatsu _had started to fluctuate dramatically. One instant she could barely sense it at all, and the next, it was as strong as it had always been. _Was this what __Kisuke_-_san__ had been trying to explain?_

"Ichigo, your _rieatsu _is behaving oddly." Rukia frowned in concern, her hand falling still as she considered the implications. If his _rieatsu _became more unstable it could explode from his body causing serious damage or worse. Whenever a human died there was a brief moment when their soul was disoriented and vulnerable to attack. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue for Ichigo, but with his _rieatsu _unstable it could be a problem. Potentially a _very _big problem, considering his inner holl- "Ichigo!" She leaned forward intently, worry radiating out of every line of her body. "Is your hollow taking over?"

_**Yes!**_

_ "No."_ Ichigo said firmly, shaking his head. "Won't let it."

"Ichigo, your _rieatsu-"_

_ "_I'm -" He broke off as another coughing fit took hold, terrifying her with it's suddenness. Not knowing what else to do, she embraced him by the shoulders, holding him as the coughs shook his body with all the gleeful force of a terrier with a rat in its jaws.

It was all she could do to not cry as he struggled to breath. It was horrible, knowing that there was nothing she could do to help. It was one thing to see comrades die- _or kill them- _in battle but seeing Ichigo like this was like acid eating away at her flesh. Slowly.

After what seemed like hours to her, the coughing eased and he was able to breath again. "I've been using my _rieatsu _ to hide it from the others." Ichigo's voice was thready, barely above a whisper as she helped him lean back against his pillows. "Can't control it any longer."

"Oh, Ichigo," Rukia sighed. Even after all these years there was obviously some rather large blank spots in his understanding. "You fool. You can't do that as a human without burning yourself out- human bodies can't withstand compressed amounts of _rieatsu _ like that for long. Why didn't you ask Orihime to heal you or go to one of your human doctors?"

"Didn't want to hurt her." He sighed, sinking back into the pillows, eyes closing wearily. "And didn't need any medical treatment or doctors poking at me. Just had to make it until spring."

"_Why, Ichigo?" _Rukia shook her head, not comprehending. "Why choose to die when you have so much still to live for? By suppressing your _rieatsu _you've shortened your life by years, you fool!"

"My choice, Rukia." He smiled sadly, reaching up to touch her face before letting his arm drop. "I want this."

"What was so important that you had to kill yourself over and die, here all alone, without your family or friends?" Her scornful voice belied the pain that filled her eyes as she looked away, unable to meet his fading ones. Sighing, he reached out and covered his hand in hers, too weak to do more than that. "R-remember the _hanami _picnics we used to have, d-don't you?"

"What do those have to do with anything?" Rukia frowned, nonplussed by his _non sequitor. _Another cough shook him as he tried to answer, but to her relief it didn't seem to grab him with the same fierceness as the prior attack. "Every spring- s-since Mom was alive." He explained, voice hoarse. "Had to make it until spring. B-better to leave them g-good memory than one of me dying slowly."

"Ichigo-" He shook his head, cutting her off. "My choice." She shook her head before sighing in acquiesce. It was just like him- even when dying Ichigo's only concern was to protect his loved ones from needless pain. _If it wasn't so admirable I'd slap him for being such an idiot. _She sighed again, before telling him firmly, "You are _not _dying alone." Her hand turned to grasp his firmly as she leaned forward, stroking his face with her free hand gently. "I'm here with you."

Ichigo leaned into her caress, smiling slightly before the weight of his eyelids became too heavy to hold open any longer and consciousness faded. Distantly he heard her voice whispering to him softly, telling him about those he knew in the Soul Society and among the thirteen _Gotei_. He took the sound of her voice with him as his consciousness sank down until he was once more standing on the horizontal sky-scraper surface of his inner world.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zangetsu stood before him as he had so often in the past, waiting. "Are you ready, Ichigo?" Puzzled at the repeated query, Ichigo opened his mouth to respond only to realize at the last second what the _zanpakutō_ had been warning him of.

Whirling, Ichigo brought his blade up in a guard position. The hollow snarled as he deflected the attack, forcing the spirit back several feet. "**Did you really think you'd be allowed to go to the **_**Seretei**_? _**To become one of the Gotei 13**_**?"** He taunted with a sneer, smiling sinisterly. "**They used you- and now you think they'll let you join them? Fuck that-"** He charged forward in an upswing that was easily countered by a frowning Ichigo. "**You've had your life, now its my turn!" **

"I don't think so," Ichigo informed the hollow, still frowning as he countered smoothly again. "I chose this life and it's not over yet." A heavy overhand blow forced they hollow back once more. A thin line of red beading against the white skin of the hollow's collar bone, making it look like he was wearing a blood necklace. "**Not over yet?**" The dark half of Ichigo threw back its head and laughed maniacally. "**You're **_**dying., dying DEAD! Your life is over, **_**Saint Ichigo. You spent your entire life saving others, and now you lie all alone, dying. Without friends or family- **_**pathetic." **_He spat disgustedly and attacked faster than any human eye could follow.

With almost lazy grace, Ichigo brushed the blade aside, stepping into the Hollow's reach and pivoting to slice his blade across his dark twin's ribcage, barely managing to pull back from the automatic follow through that would've have taken his opponent's head off. Not that he would've mourned for the insane hollow that shared his soul, but something was off about him and this fight. Ichigo wasn't going to try and kill his inner hollow- if he even could- without understanding what was going on.

"You want to fight me for my soul, do so." Ichigo coldly informed the dark spirit, now half bent over, favoring his injured sternum. "But don't think for one minute that I regret what I've done. You know nothing about what drives me or how far I'll go to protect the ones I love. "

Flinty brown eyes met insane black steadily before the hollow broke away, throwing his head back and roaring with laughter as he faded from view. Zangetsu appeared next to Ichigo who stared at the spot where the hollow had been. After a moment, he spoke quietly. "You were right. He did try something."

"If he can gain control of your soul, he would have incredible strength in his grasp."

"_Hai_," Ichigo agreed, brow furrowing in thought. "This was too easy. It was like he was playing with me. What is that bastard up too?"

"If I knew, you would know." Zangetsu reassured Ichigo. "This was likely a test. Do not let your guard down. The coming days will be challenging for you."

"_Hai_." Ichigo agreed seriously with a nod, "I'll be ready."

"And I'll be watching your back, Ichigo." Zangetsu watched as his wielder faded away once more before considering the spot where the strangely behaving hollow had disappeared. "I will always protect you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The moon shined down into the room, making her snow white hair gleam as it fell about her shoulders. Unable to sleep, she stood at the window, hand on the cool glass and head cocked to the side as if hearing a faint sound outside. A frown marred her brow as she felt a familiar surge in _reiatsu. _

"Orihime?" Her husband's voice called from the doorway. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She turned to smile at her husband of over forty years. "I just couldn't sleep tonight. Too much excitement today, perhaps." With a fond smile, her husband joined her at the window. "You're worried about something."

Orihime blew out an irritated breath, and laughed ruefully. "Can't fool you, can I?" He took her hand and drew her in to his arms, the years not having leeched their strength much. "Is it one of the children?" He asked in concern, resting his cheek on her hair in comfort.

"No." She shook her head, "It's not the girls." Her eyes closing as she leaned into that strength, tears leaking out from under her closed eyelids to trace tracks down her cheeks.

"Tell me." He ordered softly, arms tightening around her. She sniffed, tears falling faster as her tear drenched eyes met blue. "Y-you can't feel it?"

"Feel what?" He frowned, looking towards the window and concentrated on the outside _reishi_. A heartbeat later, he swore softly, lowering his head again to his wife's. "That fool, why didn't he say anything?"

"He didn't want to upset us, I guess." A deep voice spoke from the doorway, his shadowed form taking up the entire frame. Stepping into the room, he added simply. "I'm glad."

"_Glad? How can you be happy for that idiot?" _Uryū demanded harshly, eyes gleaming in the dim light. "That fool! That damned stupid fool!"

"No-" His wife shook her head, raising a hand to his face. "I think I understand. It's what he wanted. We should be happy for him."

"Happy? Happy that he's thrown his life away?" He shook his head, blinking back tears that threatened. "I'm supposed to be _happy _ that he's dead?"

"Happy that he's where he wants to be, I imagine." The husky voice of Stella Yasaturo replied, tying off her robe as she entered the room. She walked into her husband's embrace and hugged him tightly in comfort. "I know I never really got to know him like y'all did, but Ichigo Korusaki never struck me as a man who didn't know what he was doing." Despite being fluent in Japanese since her marriage a quarter century before, Stella Yasatura still had the smooth drawl of a native Georgian.

"Hmph." Uryū stepped away, glaring out the window. "That only means he's been an even bigger fool, throwing away his life over _her." _

_ "Uryū ." _Orihime was shocked. "You don't mean that."

"No," he agreed after a minute, shaking his head and looking at his feet. "I don't. I'm sorry. It's just- it's so like him to not let us know what was happening like he was all alone in this world."

"But he has been alone," Chad pointed out, stroking his wife's short hair to comfort himself as much as her. "Ever since she left, he's been waiting. Waiting until he could join her."

"That's what makes no sense," Uryū bit out, fists clenched at his sides. "It's been over fifty years since he last saw her- does he really think nothing has changed in all those years? He could've had so much more! A wife, a family-" He broke off at the stricken look on his wife's face and shook his head in wordless apology. "I'm sorry," he said again quietly, looking away.

"No, don't be." She forgave him with a sad smile. "I've never regretted the way our lives connected, love- you know that."

"I do know that." He smiled briefly into his wife's eyes before closing them as tears threatened again. "I just wish Ichigo had found someone who completed him as well as you do me, _tsuma." _

"You were in love with Ichigo?" Stella's eyebrows rose as she looked up at her husband for confirmation. "I didn't realize."

"It was before we met." Chad answered quietly. "They dated for awhile at University."

"We did," Orihime said sadly, looking at her feet briefly before meeting the younger woman's eyes with a forced smile. "I was in love with him all through high school. After...when we were in university, I thought maybe we could be together- but I realized he'd never love me like I needed him too. And that if he _could, _than he wouldn't be the one I loved." She looked over to where Uryū stood with a small smile before looking back with a wordless shrug.

"That does make it a bit hard," Stella agreed dryly. She met her husband's eyes briefly before crossing the room and taking her hostess's hands in her own. "I can't say that I've ever been in love with someone who's still in love with his Dream Girl, but I do know this. Ichigo Kurosaki had- no, _has-_ a family that loves him very much. He knows that." She tugged gently, drawing the unresisting Orihime into her arms. "I saw it again and again in the Corps. Sometimes you're born to a family, sometimes you make your own. The four of you are just as much his family as his sisters and _their _children are."

"Doesn't make him any less a fool," Uryū muttered from the window. Hearing the frustration in his voice, Stella smiled slightly. "No, it doesn't. I know I'm just a _gaijin _and I've never really understood how y'all do what you do, but I do know this much- and it's something that I learned a long time ago in Afghanistan- death is not an end. You _will _see him again."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

With a sigh, she placed his hand gently on his chest and turned away. There was nothing to do but wait and see if the dark portion of his soul would try to take over completely. Waiting was something Rukia was _very_ good at. She pushed the dark memories of another time away deliberately and sought something to distract herself from brooding.

Glancing around the room, she caught sight of a tiny stand with a picture hovering above the bedside table. She frowned, puzzled, as the picture seemed to fade in and out. She leaned forward, fascinated by the small sign of modern technology. _How odd, the picture is just one of many- that's Ichigo, so the two women standing next to him must be-_

"Karin and Yuza. One of Karin's granddaughters took it earlier today." Turning at the familiar voice, Rukia saw Ichigo, now young again, looking down at the frame with a small smile quirking a corner of his mouth. This Ichigo was as much a surprise to her as his frail human body had been. More. His spiritual self had changed as well, she noted. Somehow that surprised her more than the sight of him dying had.

The punk kid that she remembered was nowhere to be seen. Tall and rangy, he'd grown into his height. He would never be as broad as Captain Zaraiki, but he looked like what he was- someone capable of wielding the massive _zanpakt__ū_sheathed on his back with lethal skill. He still had the same sardonic half smile that had so irritated her when they had first met, but now it was tempered by the affection she could see move across his face as he looked at his family. His s_aketsu_ might now be severed and his human life gone, but somehow Rukia suspected that unlike most humans, Ichigo would not forget about the living world after crossing over to the Soul Society.

_If only out of pure bull headed stubbornness. _She thought with a rueful sigh. His previous run- ins with the other captains were legendary among the _shinigami _ranks. Rukia had no doubt that he'd only become more stubborn during the past fifty years.

"There's Uryu, Orihime, me, Chad and his wife, Stella." He pointied to the picture currently on display, distracting her from her thoughts. Of the five, only Orihime with her shining length of hair, and Chad were immediately recognizable to Rukia. "Orihime and Uryu have three daughters, that sure was a surprise for Uryu. Two of them took to being Quincys like ducks to water and their grandchildren show some promise too." He reminisced with a laugh. "Chad met Stella in Okinawa when he was thirty-five. I thought he'd end up a bachelor like me, but Stella really knocked him on his ass- she's a United States Marine officer. Retired now, of course. Their son is about to graduate Annapolis. Good kid." He paused, before adding softly, "They've missed you."

It was said calmly without accusation, a simple statement of fact. Despite his gentleness, it hit her like a thrust to her heart. "I had to-" Rukia's faint protest trailed off as Ichigo simply smiled at her, shaking his head gently. "Don't apologize. They don't blame you for going back to Soul Society- you're a _shinigami, _of course you would go back one day. We knew that, but that didn't stop anyone from forgetting, or missing you."

Suddenly, the world seemed surreal. Here they were reminiscing about all that had occurred in the more than fifty years since they'd last spoken. She had expected anger, bitterness- not this welcoming joy. _It is as if I've come home from a long journey and he's telling me the family news. _ _ No recriminations. No anger- just genuine pleasure to see me. _

She felt a small part of her heart warming at the thought. All of them- Ichigo, his sisters, Inoue, Sado and Uryu had always welcomed her like this. They had always been glad to see her- even after her arrest and their nearly dying to rescue her from the_ S__ō__kyoku_- she mentally shied away from the memory and focused on his seeming nonchalance. Not to mention the issues concerning his inner Hollow. Surprisingly, it seemed as if all the_ r__eiatsu_she'd sensed before his death was back to his normal levels. "Ichigo-" She began. "Right, I know." Ichigo interrupted with a smile, anticipation sparking in his eyes. "I can't stay here too long like this."

"Wha-no, I mean, yes, but-" Rukia blinked, startled. "Ichigo." She began again. "What happened with your inner Hollow? It seemed to be trying to take over as you were-."

"Dying, yes." He sighed, turning away from the family photos and the bed to face her fully. "It was. My hollow side did try to take over, but there was something odd about it- like he wasn't really trying too hard."

"What do you mean?" She frowned, puzzled. Ichigo's inner Hollow, however inadvertently obtained originally, had never been one for pussy footing around. She remembered the struggle he'd once had with it constantly fighting him for dominance until he'd been able to gain full control. He shrugged, "Zangestu and I are as much in the dark as you." He turned to look at the window and the slowly lightening sky. "We should probably get going."

"Ichigo, are you sure you don't want to say goodbye to anyone-" Rukia asked, concerned still by his reaction to dying- or rather, _lack _of reaction. Even spirits who didn't remember dying were often aware that something was wrong or amiss- but, Ichigo wasn't acting at all like a normal Plus. _And since when has he __**ever **__been anything close to normal? _Her inner voice asked pointedly. _I know, but this isn't like him becoming a Shinigami like he did- he's __**dead **__but doesn't seem too care. _

_ "_Stop worrying," Ichigo's order snapping her out of her internal thoughts. "It's not like I don't know what's waiting for me." He glanced at her, smiling slightly. "Really, Rukia- it'll be fine. Trust me."

"Oh, _that's _a relief. I wonder where I've heard that before?" She teased, hiding her doubts behind a smile. "Alright then, let's go."

They reached Uruhara's shop as the sky was changing from the glowing pink to the blue of day. Sounds of people moving around inside and talking lowly could be heard as the pair of _shinigami_ approached the door. Rukia had lifted her hand to knock when the door was thrown open by the shop's owner, the former Division 12 Captain, Kisuke Uruhara.

"Rukia! Ichigo! Come in, come in!" He cheerfully invited the pair into his shop. "I'm sure you're anxious to return to Soul Society, but I hope you can spare the time to share a last glass of tea with me." Although phrased as a request, both of them could clearly hear the order hidden in his jovial tones. At their silent nods, he beamed and stepped aside, calling for his two helpers to bring out the tea for their guests.

After they had settled around the familiar table, Uruhara addressed Ichigo. "I see you've come through well enough. Can't say you didn't have me worried recently with the way you were suppressing your illness with your _reiatsu."_

Hearing that, Rukia leaned towards Ichigo and viciously poked him in the chest. "I _told _you you were being reckless! _Baka! _

"Hey, go easy! Recently dead guy here!" He protested, rubbing at the spot where she had poked him. "I had my reasons. And it all worked out in the end."

"So it would seem," Kisuke agreed, taking a sip of his tea. Setting it down on the table, he slapped his hands down on his knees and said with a smile. "Well, I've kept you both long enough. Let's go down to the _senkaimon_ and get you back to Soul Society. "

"Thank you," Rukia said, bowing slightly. "Your help is greatly appreciated, Uruhara-san."

"Think nothing of it, Rukia." He brushed aside her thanks. "Always glad to help, and Ichigo has been an interesting study subject."

"One you caused." The subject in question said dryly from behind the pair as they headed down to the underground training area where he and Kisuke had trained and sparred over the years since he'd decided on the course his life would take a cold night years before.

"And look how well that turned out!" Kisuke retorted cheerfully, "Don't forget to tell Mayuri to stop by sometime- I'm sure your presence in the _Seireitei_ is going to be a challenge he won't long be able to resist."

"Yea, well, he'll just have to learn to live with it- I am not being a fucking experiment for that freak." Ichigo replied darkly. "He comes near me with any of his needles or poisons and there's going to be one less Captain in the _Gotei 13." _

_ "Ichigo!" _Rukia's voice reprimanded him even as she had tried to contain the smile that threatened. "Sorry, Rukia." he apologized. "What I meant to say was that I am not going to be a fucking experiment for that freak-_t__aichō_."

"That's better." She sighed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. _He hasn't changed at all._

"He serves a purpose," Uruhara reminded his protege. "And despite how things may seem, he hasn't done badly as my successor in Division 12." Reaching the _senkaimon_ gate, he said cheerfully, "Now than, off you go! Glad to see you again Rukia, stop by anytime. Ichigo, do try to not get yourself killed. After all, you've already died once."


End file.
